Take a breath

There I was. In the hippest street of Calvary, waiting for my date.

Despite the summer temperatures, there were goosebumps on my arms. I gently tapped my foot on the ground. I should learn to deal with my nerves a bit more.

Really, it's not my first date or anything. In fact, the past few months I've been dating a lot.

My relationship of more than seven years broke off half a year ago and although I am very busy, I think I am ready for something new.

Julian was my first match on the app I downloaded last month. He was busy, he said, as an explanation for why we couldn't meet until a month later. To be honest, I understand that better than anyone. But I still find it strange.

The narrow street with cafes where we have agreed to meet is lively. The terraces are full and everywhere you hear people talking.

Being early was a calculated decision. That way, I thought I could see him coming, when I was already comfortable. It sounds stupid, but I felt like this would give me a little more control over the situation.

I almost had a heart attack when someone tapped my left shoulder. With my heart in my throat, I turned around and stared into a pair of green-brownish eyes.

I would dare to swear that the man, who was still holding my shoulder, came straight out of a shampoo commercial. He wore his dark-brown curly hair to the left and it fell just in front of his ears. Gods he was handsome.

He smiled at me and I could only stare at him, I should think of something to say, because this was Julian.

"Hey," he greeted me. Julian grinned and said: "Take a breath cherry, otherwise we would have to start this introduction with mouth-to-mouth ventilation," Julian crookedly smiled.

As inconspicuously as possible, I began to breathe again and his eyes started to glisten. "I'm Julian," he introduced himself, holding out his hand. Yes, I knew that. I thought about taking his hand, and at the same time I realized that he still hadn't let go of my shoulder. This felt rather inimate.

I hesistantly shook his hand and tried to find my voice again. An electric shock pulsed through me. "I uhm... " I started to say and I swallowed. Okay, get yourself together. I tried again and this time with more determination. "I'm Emily," I told him.

"Strong handshake," he grinned. His smile broke out into a full smile, and I quickly released his hand.

His teeth were just not quite straight. Normally that would bother me, but it didn't. "That promises something good," he said softly. My handshake does, or what? I didn't know how to respond to that.

Julian let go of my shoulder and sat diagonally across the little table. He tilted his head to the side and put a finger on his narrow lips, which were still curled into a smile.

A strand of his hair fell wavy before his eyes. Yep, there was that shampoo commercial vibe again.

Beautiful eyes, good hair and lips that were very, very kissable. Right, I have to say something.

"Where did you just come from? I mean, I saw that you came from inside of course. Have you been here for long?" I asked unable to find the right words.

"Mhh.. mhh.." he murmured with a smile, clearly entertained by my clumsy behavior.

"Do you come here often," I asked him, when he still didn't start talking himself. This café wasn't exactly my scence, way too expensive. It looked like he could afford it though. Julian wore a white blouse, and the two top buttons were casually open. He has chest hair, I noted and wrote it down on my mental list of him.

"Sometimes," he admitted still half-smiling.

A pretty waitress, with long blond hair stepped up to us and asked if we wanted something to drink. "A coffee please, Charlotte," he said to her and looked at me again. So, ge came here often enough to know the waitress by first name.

"Mike told me that you were here, but I was downstairs when you were inside," she complained disappointed. "Ah, okay," is the only thing Julian said in response.

"I'll see you tonight," the blonde reminded Julian. He completely ignored her and kept looking at me. He didn't respond to that and still looked at me instead of the waitress. "I'd like a coke," I said to break this awkward silence. The waitress wrote it down walked away.

I turned towards Julian again and he was still staring at me, making me feel nervous. "What," I bit at him.

Julian shook his head playfully, while his eyes held mine. "You're incredibly beautifull," he murmured. I started to blush and looked at my hands.

For everything that was sacred, why did he make me feel so extremely uncomfortable. "Thank you," I stammered shyly.

"What do you do for work," I asked as my eyes glided over his torso and I licked my lips.

He looked educated, but whatever the hell he did, he looked like he had enough time to workout. "I have some companies," Julian replied. Okay, that sounded vague. "What kind of companies exactly," I insisted.

"Yes, that's a bit diverse," he laughed. Well... that was cryptic.

"And you, what do you do?" His eyes glistered again. I toyed with my hands. I'm was in my late twenties and I was still studying. I hoped to God that was not an instant turn-off for him. "I'm studying at a university," I said a little too softly.

"Plus, I also work as a personal assistant ," I quickly added. I didn't want him to getthe idea that i wasn't self-sufficient.

"Incredibly beautiful and ambitious," he said with a wink that I felt in the depth of my stomach. "You do have to keep on breathing cherry," Julian reminded me with a incredibly sexy smile. I took a deep breath and swallowed.

It took a while, but then I got a hold of myself and pretended nothing happened. Fortunately, he didn't comment on it again.

"What are you actually studying?" Julian rubbed his well strimmed full beard. He was distracting me, I noticed, when my eyes landed on his lips again.

I sat straighter and tried to behave normally. For Heaven's sake, I didn't normally act like that on a date. "I'm studying political science," I told him confidently.

"That sounds very interesting," he agreed.

"It is," I said enthusiastically. " It's almost something of a hobby," I told him. Seeming amused, he raised an eyebrow and his eyes urged me to speak further.

"At the beginning of this year I had an intership at a municipality and later this year in the House of Representatives. Every day the material is about current events, so it never gets boring," I rattled on.

I told him about the books I've read this semester and he listened carefully. "Your eyes lighten up when you talk about your work and studies, that's good," he smiled at me.

"In my spare time, I sometimes give lectures at a college," he added, while touching my hand on the table for a moment. My breath caught in my throat and my heart seemed to beat harder.

His hand felt warm. Julian was looking at me like I was something to eat, and the way he made me feel promised one hell of a date.